Wild - An MCU Fan Fiction
by Convex
Summary: Set in an alternate timeline at the start of Avengers: Age of Ultron, things go terribly awry when the team's leader, Captain America, gets captured and controlled by one of his oldest enemies...
1. Prologue

Prologue

"Doctor List, welcome to the Sokovian H.Y.D.R.A Research Facility." The H.Y.D.R.A soldier walked out of the door to welcome List, smiling eerily. "I will take you to Baron Strucker, please follow me."

They both started at a brisk pace to the door, and as the soldier scanned a card, doing seemingly nothing but actually opening a hole in the forcefield around the base to let them enter. List removed his hat and his coat at the gesture of the soldier, hanging it on a coat rack at the entrance. The soldier continued walking onwards through the long corridor, guiding List through the facility. They encountered a fork, and the soldier took a left, checking behind his shoulder to make sure he didn't lose List. They walked for a couple more silent minutes, until the soldier stopped at a metal door, reinforced over to make it near impenetrable. He gestured for List to step forward, to which List replied with a puzzled look.

"We need to make sure you are actually who you say you are. This will do the trick." List did not like the idea of being thoroughly examined to confirm his identity, still, he understood why. List stepped onto the platform in front of the door, and a scanner scanned his iris, beeping to signal that the identity was confirmed. The door opened with a whoosh, and List gasped at what was before him.

Hundreds of computer screens. Lots of workers. And one man leading all of them. It was a straight mirror of S.H.I.E.L.D, right down to the leader with an eyepatch, sort of. Wolfgang Von Strucker turned just as List entered the control centre, and smiled at this reunion.

"Doctor List, welcome to Sokovia. I trust you do well." Strucker shook hands with List.

"Herr Strucker, you called?" List asked uncertainly, with a definite quiver in his voice. Strucker, noticing this, only chuckled lightly, amused. "This'd better be good, Herr, it is not easy to ask Nick Fury for a vacation that actually turns out to be working for an organisation that they don't even know still lives, and would hate with a passion if they did."

"Do not worry, Doctor, it is something that I can relate to too well. However, a good training will teach you that lying may be the only path to universal success. And you would be correct in assuming that this urgent call was quite, quite necessary." Strucker talked to List as he walked over to a seemingly blank stretch of brick wall. List looked at him inquiringly, but his jaw dropped as Strucker pushed the wall, and a secret door was revealed as the wall went backwards and swung wide open. Strucker held out his hand, gesturing to List.

"After you, Doctor." List took a step nervously into the hidden corridor, Strucker following him and closing the door behind them. Strucker started leading List through the corridor at a brisk pace.

"Let me give you a little backstory to our work here. Five years ago, Tony Stark revealed his identity to the world as the Iron Man. Nick Fury, our so called 'boss', decided the time was ripe to disclose to Stark a plan he called "The Avengers Initiative". And he did so, right on the evening of Stark's reveal. The Avengers Initiative was based of the idea of bringing together a group of super-powered or gifted individuals, into a sort of team, so they could fight the battles that humanity alone couldn't. Fury's dossier for this plan included Stark, Steve Rogers, the super soldier, Clint Barton, known as the Hawk among S.H.I.E.L.D, Natasha Romanoff, a master spy also within the ranks of S.H.I.E.L.D, Bruce Banner, also known as the Hulk, and Thor Odinson, the God of Thunder. These people, if brought together perfectly, could be an indomitable team." Strucker took a breath from his speech, looking back at the Doctor to make sure that he was still on his heels.

"But I already know this, Herr Strucker. What is your point?" List asked, his voice still quivering.

Strucker raised his hand, indicating a need for silence. "I'm getting there, Doctor, patience is a virtue. H.Y.D.R.A, as you know, was being reborn from the ashes at this time, just about to reform and be ready to dominate the world again, due to the noble work of Arnim Zola. Fast forward to the New York, the previous year, when the forces of Loki attacked the Earth. He was defeated by the Avengers, who had formed as planned into a team, and become something to be intimidated by. But our ranks within S.H.I.E.L.D allowed us to get hold of Loki's Scepter, which we used to pioneer alien weapons, to be used by our troops, for the impending world domination. But using the Chitauri cores came with other benefits - namely using their mind-invasion devices to our effect, the reason Loki could command the whole of his troops so well." Strucker walked to another metal door at the end of the corridor. He scanned his iris similar to when List had at the entrance to the control centre. The door opened with a clank, and List opened his eyes wide yet again at what he saw.

A huge body of a Chitauri Leviathan lay in front of him, held on support beams, in the middle of what seemed like an incomplete autopsy. There was a set of control panels and a working space for what seemed like a team of scientists. And right at the middle of the room, what seemed like the focus of the entire facility, was Loki's Scepter, glinting gold and giving off its strange, blue light. An energy source so unknown yet so overwhelmingly powerful, that it could be the source of dozens of new technologies for the world to make.

"Welcome to your lab, Doctor List, I hope you like it. Otherwise…" He gave a strained chuckle, "Let's not get into the details of that." Strucker walked towards the control panel carelessly, apparently too intent on his purpose rather than welcoming the doctor to his lab.

"I like it very much, Herr Strucker. Very, very, much." But List seemed deep in thought, already imagining what potential this could mean for the world as a whole, and more importantly, H.Y.D.R.A.

"Good. Over to my point, as you wanted to know. The mind-invasion devices that we found in the Chitauri's bodies and the Leviathan's armour is quite compelling, to say the least. They go inside the mind of the target, and control their bodies, though their minds and personalities are not altered." Strucker smiled, all the while pressing buttons and looking through files at a computer.

"So… We can use it to turn enemies into allies?" List looked uncertainly at Stucker, who beamed.

"Well done, Doctor. Yes, exactly. More specifically, the Avengers into allies. Take Steve Rogers, for example. He has been an enemy of H.Y.D.R.A's since its beginning, ever since Johann Schmidt started this organisation. He has always been patriotic to those scummy Yanks, and never for a second will consider coming to our side. Through using this -" Strucker opened a 3D schematic, showing a circular device with indents and a purple glowing core, using a piece of the Chitauri core."- we can make sure that we have Rogers' undying fidelity. He won't consent to it, and he will be present in his mind. But he will not be in control of his actions. We will be."

"A Super Winter Soldier." List leaned forwards staring in awe at the schematic of the device.

"Exactly." Strucker's reply was a smug pride at his idea. "H.Y.D.R.A will rule all with an iron fist, with the world's greatest hero at its side, the star spangled trooper will be for us to use."

"The uprising is close, Herr Strucker. We will overthrow S.H.I.E.L.D, and the world's government with the resources we have. Make our troops invincible." List's eyes glowed from the Chitauri Core's light. This was his destiny. This was the future.

"Cut off one head -" Strucker started reciting the oath.

"-and two more shall take its place." List continued.

They both chorused the next sentence at the same time.

"Hail H.Y.D.R.A."


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1:

Steve Rogers ran through the woods. The H.Y.D.R.A troops seemed to be about done, he had made sure of that along with Thor. Strucker was still on the loose though, along with the enhanced he had seen before, which was not a huge comfort.

"Romanoff, get Barton on the jet. We can't risk him being down for another mission. Make sure Banner and Thor stick together." He spoke into the earpiece, addressing Natasha.

"Roger that, Cap. Better get up here, we're about wrapped up." Romanoff sounded slightly out of breath, but it was excusable, fighting a whole army with nothing but your martial art skills was a feat only the dedicated could achieve.

"Until I get Strucker, I'm staying. Stark, word on Strucker?" Steve kept sprinting towards the base, using his shield to slide down a hill.

"Just finished everyone in here, Cap, checking out the room where they all were. JARVIS, Sentry Mode."

Steve ran into the base, knocking away two guards with his shield, not slowing down one bit. A long corridor stood in front of him, and Steve ran through it. He saw a door to his left after a few turns, and saw a man standing guard. Kicking the man out of his way, Steve saw exactly what he wanted to see.

"Baron Strucker. H.Y.D.R.A's number one thug." Strucker seemed to have been intercepted at the wrong time, and seemed to be in the middle of escaping from his quickly falling laboratory.

"Well… technically, I'm a thug for S.H.I.E.L.D." Strucker wanted Steve to believe that he was confident, though Steve saw right through this. Smirking, he rebutted Strucker's statement.

"Then technically you're unemployed." This did the trick, the smile was wiped off of Strucker's face as Steve walked around to face Strucker head on.

"Don't worry, Captain. I know when I'm beat." Strucker smiled. This was the moment he'd been waiting for since two years. He added, "You'll mention how I cooperated, I hope."

"I'll put it right under illegal human experimentation." Inwardly, Strucker was laughing. Any second now, the girl would come, and put the damned thing on the Captain, and H.Y.D.R.A may as well be the leader of the world.

"Wanda, NOW!" Strucker shouted suddenly, just as a girl, maybe in her twenties, appeared behind Steve and trapped him in a sort of red energy forcefield. Steve looked constricted, this was not something he would do every day of the week.

"Good job, Wanda. You've finally made me proud." Strucker walked around Steve, examining the strongest human in the world, all stuck and helpless.

"I have nothing to prove to you, Strucker." Wanda did not seem amused at Strucker's remark, but didn't push the point.

Strucker bent down, to be face to face with Steve. "Well, here we have the star spangled man with a plan, stuck between the clutches of a child." Wanda scowled as Steve shook with rage, unable to do anything other than glare at Strucker. "Well, Captain, I've not enough time to sit around and talk about old times between Herr Schmidt and yourself, but I do have a delivery for you." Strucker pulled out the device, holding it in his palm, the prototype that had actually been made into reality. It gave off a purple light, from the Chitauri core, and had dangerous spikes on the backside. He held it, gazing at it in deep thought, then smiled at Steve.

"You will have the honour for working for us, infiltrating the ranks of the Avengers and the world as a whole. And then, by our side, you will rule all with undeniable power." Strucker gave a cackle, as Steve groaned, forcing out words from his mouth.

"Damn… you…" It was barely a growl, but Steve was in unbearable pain as he was slowly being choked by the red forcefield. Strucker smiled on the inside, and without further ado, he put the device on Steve's chest, right in the middle of his torso.

A terrible pause.

Then suddenly, Steve gave a scream of agony. A long, drawn out scream, as the device on his chest tore his uniform and started absorbing itself into Steve's chest. All of the nerves turned red and visible all throughout Steve's body, as his screams got louder and louder. The device disappeared underneath his uniform, and the purple light of the mind-invasion device died out. There was a beep, just as Steve stopped screaming, and started breathing heavily. Slowly, he stopped, and Strucker signalled to Wanda to destroy the red forcefield. She did, and Steve fell down onto his knees, shoulders slumped.

"Rogers?" Strucker stood up, gazing down at Steve, who still showed no reaction, apart from his heavy breathing. Though slowly, he turned his head upwards staring at Strucker. Steve's eyes showed horror and rage at Strucker, though his expression was telling a completely different story. Steve Rogers' face was blank, completely and utterly blank. He stood up, looking straight ahead, and spoke in a blank voice.

"Ready... to comply." It seemed strained, but it was like music to Strucker's ears. Steve was glaring at Strucker, but not able to talk for himself. Strucker smiled, then only uttered one word to Steve.

"Go."

* * *

"Where's the Captain? We already have the scepter." Thor paced around worriedly on the floor of the parked Quinjet. "Is he still looking for that idiot Strucker?"

"He's not responding." Natasha seemed tense as well, but kept her self-control to console Bruce. After all, transforming into an enormous green rage monster was not a pleasant experience.

"Do any of you really think Cap can't fend for himself? Man's a real frozen fossil from 45', he's punched Adolf Hitler in the jaw 200 times." Tony seemed to be the most relaxed person on the jet. "Besides, we already got Loki's Scepter."

"Tony, can you shut your damn mouth for a second?" Clint was lying down on a bench, clutching his left side. His expression was hard to distinguish, whether it was tense from pain or worry.

"Whooo, somebody's spicy. Stay low, Legolas." Tony's remark was met with hollow chuckles, nobody actually was feeling good.

Out of nowhere, Steve ran around the corner of the woods, looking strangely constricted. He didn't seem out of breath, or as if anything had happened at all.

"Steve!" Natasha nearly shouted out in relief. The others, though in more control of their emotions, sighed with relief. Steve jumped aboard the Quinjet, dropping his shield at the floor just as the entry hatch closed behind him.

"Alright, we are go for homebase, JARVIS." Tony sat down at the pilot seat, controlling the jet back to Avengers Tower, just as Steve sat down at a bench. Bruce put on some headphones, going back to listening to his calm music. Thor clapped Steve on the shoulder, putting Mjolnir on the floor as well.

"Are you well, Rogers? You seem a whole lot more quiet than before." Thor sat down and addressed Steve, who was staring at the floor of the jet, at his shield.

"Yeah? No, I'm fine. Just… uh… didn't find Strucker." Steve didn't look at Thor as he said this, and for some reason, his voice was very shaky.

Thor rolled his eyes. "Come on, Captain, we have Loki's Scepter. That was their, as you say, their "play card", 'twas." Thor chuckled at his own joke, and even Steve cracked a smile, though very small.

"Thor, report on the Hulk?" Natasha yelled across to Thor, from in between a conversation between herself and Bruce.

"The gates of hell are filled with the screams of his victims." Thor held up a fist, smiling, which faltered immediately from the glare that Natasha gave him. Bruce held his head in his hands, making a noise of despair. "Though not the screams of the dead, of course. No, no… uh… wounded screams, mainly whimpering, a great deal of complaining and tales of sprained deltoids and, and uh... and gout." Thor quickly amended his original remark, which was not really effective as Bruce still had his head in his hands.

Tony, seeing the conversation behind him, quickly intervened. "Uh, Banner, Doctor Cho's on her way from Seoul, is it okay if she sets up in your lab?" Bruce looked up at this, and replied gladly.

"Yeah, she knows her way around."

"No, she shouldn't." Tony and Bruce looked around at Steve, visibly confused. Steve never spoke in Science matters, ever. Steve looked back at them, still wearing a blank expression. "I said, she can't come. I've got a bad feeling."

"You okay, Cap? Barton's gonna need that treatment or he's down." Tony was still looking at Steve, puzzled. This was not like him at all.

"Then take him to Seoul." Steve glared at Tony, and he faltered, an unusual thing for him.

"Uh… Roger… that. JARVIS, tell Doctor Cho to cancel her trip, she'll meet Barton at Seoul."

"Message sent, sir." JARVIS replied.

Clint groaned, at the news of his extra travel. Everyone else sat down, staring at the back of Steve's head. Tony shook his head, giving a bemused expression to the back of Steve's head, then widened his eyes slightly. His neck was purple!

Or parts of it anyway. Tony blinked, and the neck was normal.

"The hell..." He muttered under his breath. A trick of the light, perhaps? Either way, he sat down on the pilot's seat, deciding never to dwell on that instance ever again.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

The Quinjet landed on the deck of the Avengers tower with a woosh. The entry hatch opened, and Thor, Natasha and Bruce walked out. Tony was still at the front of the Jet, giving commands to JARVIS.

"And uh, think of going at Mach 6 cruising speed, land and wait for return. Might wanna play some music to soothe Barton, he's not gonna like not having Natasha with him. And connect every call from his phone to the Jet's speakers, he'll need to tell his family."

"Approved and ready for departure, sir." JARVIS gave a chime to signal that he was ready.

"Thanks man." Clint was still lying down on the bench, his eyes closed.

"All good Barton, don't flat-line out there." Tony made to walk out, but found his path blocked by a woman, wearing a black dress, maybe in her mid-thirties.

Agent Maria Hill was standing at the entry hatch, holding a screen. Tony was taken aback, as he stared at Agent Hill. "Uh, anything wrong, Hill?

"Cho's cancelled her visit, Boss." She held up a screen.

"Uh, actually, I'm not the boss. Cap is. Uh, Cap?" Tony called out to where Thor, Bruce and Natasha went. Steve walked out from behind Tony, who jumped.

"Jeez! You planning to go fonduing with Barton or something?" Steve ignored Tony's remark, and took the screen from Hill's hands.

"Anything new, Agent?" He walked with Agent Hill towards an elevator.

"The enhanced you were talking about, Pietro Maximoff. Twins with Wanda Maximoff. Rough history, both orphaned at 11, experimented on by Strucker. We're not sure if Wanda is enhanced, but we assume so."

"Your assumption would be correct, Agent Hill." Steve did not show any expression on his face, except maybe a small degree of determinedness. Hill saw this and frowned.

"Are you okay, Rogers?" Steve looked up at this, and shook his head.

"Yeah, I'm... fine." He handed the screen to Agent Hill, and walked towards the elevator, closing the door behind him, leaving Hill staring at him. Strange.

* * *

"You noticed anything about Cap, Bruce?" Tony walked into his lab, with Bruce behind him, wearing a white lab coat.

"Oh, you mean the sending Cho back to Seoul incident? Yeah, that was kinda weird." Bruce sat down and took off his glasses cleaning them with a cloth.

"Not just that. He was sitting in the Jet until Barton was about to go. He only came off when Agent Hill wanted him." Tony was staring at the floor, deep in thought. Something was up.

"Huh. I mean, it could just be him deep in thought. He has his own world from the forties, anyway, maybe he was thinking about that. We can't really blame him." Bruce put on his glasses and looked at Tony. He didn't look worried at all.

"Come on Bruce! Man goes missing for half an hour, not replying, and suddenly shows up looking in tip top shape. Later, he orders something that he doesn't know a thing about, bringing Barton closer to death. Then he stays on the jet until he's forced to leave, just cause Hill's calling him." Tony counted off of his fingers, recounting each event, then glared at Bruce. "You can't deny something's up."

"You're right, I can't. But this is a man who was alive during World War 2, I don't think we can ever really know what's going on inside his head." Bruce shook his head, and made to walk out of the lab, but stopped dead in his tracks. His and Tony's earpiece was beeping. Tony touched it, and Natasha's voice came out from it.

"Guys?" Tony and Bruce looked at each other, puzzled.

"Yeah, we're here." Bruce replied before Tony opened his mouth.

"We need you down here. Something's happening to Steve."

* * *

On the floor of the living room in the Avengers Tower, Steve was groaning. He was lying down on the floor, with strange gurgles and yells of pain coming from his mouth. Thor and Natasha were standing on the sides of Steve, trying to help him up, but he just moved away from them. Bruce and Tony ran towards them from the elevator, and gasped at what was before them.

Steve's nerves were all visible and popping out, a deep purple colour. His screams were echoing off the walls, and a strange purple light was visible coming from his chest.

"Cap? Cap!" Tony held out his arm, reaching for him, but Steve just moved away. "What's wrong with him?"

"We don't know, he just dropped right in front of us as we were walking up to the couch." Natasha, was looking extremely worried, trying at every second to grab at Steve.

Suddenly, he stopped. His screams became silent. He lied down on the floor, breathing heavily. Then he looked up at all of his comrades, the six Avengers. His eyes were bloodshot, and his face, for the first time since he went missing, showed emotion. But not an emotion they wanted to see. His face was screwed up in pain, and his eyes showed horror.

"Run… NOW!" It was a growl, but it seemed to cause him a great deal of pain. He bent back down, shaking his head slightly, and then fell down, quiet. Everyone around him looked shocked and horrified, gazing at his still body.

"Steve! Steve, look at me!" Natasha fell down at the floor, holding Steve's shoulder, trying to lift him up.

Without warning, she was punched across the face, as she went flying backwards, crashing into the bar behind them. Steve jumped up, and made straight for his shield, which was lying a metre or so from him. Tony shouted something indiscernible, with a loud crash somewhere below them. There were more noises of commotion as Thor jumped.

"Captain!" Thor tackled Steve just as he reached his shield, bodying him to the ground. Steve turned over with a such a ferocious force that Thor was knocked off of him. He held up his shield, and struck Thor across the face repeatedly, on and on, five more times, until Thor's face was completely covered with blood. Thor held up his hand weakly, summoning Mjolnir to him. Steve glanced to his right, registering Mjolnir at the last second. He held up his shield, and the hammer clanged into it, sending a huge shockwave throughout the room. Everyone was blown backwards, and the force of the hammer pushed the shield back into Thor's face. Steve looked down at Thor again, and for another strike to his face, but the shield was caught by something.

Tony was blocking the shield, now clad in the Mark 43 Iron Man Armour. His helmet flew to his face, clanking shut just as he gave a repulsor blast to Steve's face, which caught him off guard, knocking him back a few feet. Steve jumped up yet again, and jumped onto Tony's shoulder. Tony flew up using his boot propulsion, but Steve jumped off of his shoulders, and grabbed Tony's foot. He picked up his shield, and hit the boot jet on Tony multiple times, breaking the shell until it flew off of Tony's foot. Steve slammed Tony down, multiple times, and threw him across the room to the windows of the Avengers Tower. Tony pushed using his feet, and the back propulsion activated, flying him back into the Tower, away from the precarious fall into the abyss that was New York City.

Tony landed on the floor again, panting. He saw Banner lying down on the floor, holding his hands to his ears.

"Banner, don't you go green status on me!" Tony made to go towards Bruce, who held up his hand, signalling he was fine. Tony looked back around to where Steve had been moments ago, and saw him sprinting to the balcony of the Avengers Tower.

"Flight systems compromised. Boot propulsion systems offline, sir." JARVIS echoed inside Tony's helmet.

"Then use hand and fin flight systems, damn it!" Tony growled into the helmet, furious. His back and hand flight boosters activated, and he flew straight at Steve, who was about to jump off of the balcony. Tony caught Steve's boot, and pulled him back, smashing him into the floor of the balcony. He then made to punch Steve right in the face, but missed as Steve spun his head to the side, and made a hole in the floor. Steve swiped Tony across the chest with his shield as hard as he could, and shattered the glass on the Arc Reactor with one hit. Tony fell backwards, and Steve struck him again on the chest, caving in the Arc Reactor. He struck Tony one more time on the face, making him go unconscious.

Over in the bar area, Natasha woke up with a start. She stood up, and saw the carnage that Steve had left behind. Bruce was on the floor, holding his hands up to his ears, Thor was on the floor, lying in a pool of blood with his hammer a few metres from his hand. She looked across to the balcony, where Tony and Steve were in battle. She jumped over the bar, running over to Bruce, who looked up at her.

"I'm fine! Steve's going crazy." He pointed over to where Tony and Steve were pointing. Natasha patted Bruce on the shoulder, and then stood up, running in to join the action. She reached them just as Steve hit Tony across the face, rendering him unconscious.

She started at Steve with a kick to his head, which was of no avail as he had his helmet on. She followed up with a kick to his stomach, which he blocked with his hands. She jumped onto his shoulders, and tried to twist his neck around to hit the ground, but he resisted, holding her up. She started punching him on the face repeatedly at a painful angle.

"Stop… it… you… bastard!" She said each word with a punch, until Steve backflipped into the wall, knocking Natasha off of him. She jumped up straight away, and aimed a kick to his cheek. She swung her leg upwards, but Steve caught it right next to his shoulder, and twisted it, slamming Natasha into the ground. He grabbed his shield just as Natasha aimed at him with her gauntlets, launching a tiny device onto him. He held up his shield, and the device attached to it. He looked at it, then quickly aimed for Natasha, throwing the shield with such ferocity that it seemed like a blur in the air. She ducked down, but it was to no avail. There was a crackling noise, and the shield hit Natasha's chest, her own EMP catching her and electrocuting her. The force of the shield knocked her to the ground, and the EMP was so strong that she started shaking violently on the ground, in much the same fashion that Steve had. Steve ran over to her, picking up his shield and glancing down at her, with a horrified expression on his face. He grabbed his shield, and unable to do anymore damage, jumped off of the balcony, and using his shield, slid down the length of the Tower, disappearing into the vast city beneath him. The last thing he saw before jumping was Natasha, unmoving, on the ground.

She lay on the now destroyed balcony, in unbearable pain. Bruce ran to her from the inside of the building, and leaned down to tend her.

"Hey, hey, hey. Look at me. Nat." He looked down, and felt her hand for her pulse, giving a sigh of relief when he felt it still beating. She looked at him, and made a disgusted expression. She sat up with the expression still on her face, then gave an enormous cough, once, twice and more, until she fell onto the ground once more. Bruce shook her, and then gave a wail when he saw that she was in a pool of blood. She had been coughing up blood.

She gave a hard push with her hands, and pushed herself into a sitting position, wiping her mouth as she did so.

"Are you good, Bruce?" Bruce smiled meekly at this, not giving an answer, but gesturing to pool of blood she had coughed up. She spoke into her earpiece.

"Everyone, be advised, Steve Rogers is compromised. I repeat, Captain America has been compromised."


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

"Herr Strucker, are you sure about this?" List paced the floor of the bunker, agitated. He held his hands behind his back, looking at the computer screen every so often.

"Relax, Doctor, it doesn't mean anything. He'll be here in a bit. Just give him some time." Strucker was sitting on a chair, his legs on the desk, a cigar in his mouth. He was looking at the computer screens as well, with a lazy expression across his face. List saw this, and sighed inwardly. This was not a matter which should be taken lightly. He expressed this to Strucker, who gave a chuckle.

"Listen, doctor. Steve Rogers is our oldest enemy, loyal to those Americans from the very beginning. It is natural that he is able to fight back the control of the mind-invasion device. Besides, his warning didn't affect his actions at all. He rendered the Avengers immobile, for the time being." Strucker leant back, looking at the computer screen, which flickered, and gave a beep, with a purple symbol playing across it. "Ah, he is here. Open the door, doctor."

List walked forward to the control panel, and pressed a button. There was a single beep all around them, and the door behind them opened. Strucker and List looked behind at the door, and laughed.

Steve Rogers was standing at the door, holding his shield, helmet on, with a blank expression behind it. He walked in, and stood right in front of Strucker, who stood up, grinning maniacally.

"At your service, Herr Strucker." Steve looked at Strucker, with his eyes bloodshot, still showing disgust, darting from List to Strucker.

"You did a good job, Rogers. After all, rendering Thor unconscious and breaking the Black Widow's will is not an easy task. I have a feeling, though," At this Strucker glanced at List, "that it wasn't your best display of strength." Strucker walked over to List, and patted him on the shoulder.

"Doctor, here you see our Super Soldier. His task is to mislead the Avengers, and acquire their assets, which include Arc Reactors, all of the technology in their suits, and control of at least one more person either part of or working in close quarters with the Avengers." Strucker glanced back at Steve, then back at List. "I want you to tell him how to do just that, invade the Avengers from the inside."

Strucker walked away, and sat back down at the chair. He looked at List expectantly, who rubbed his hands together. "Let us get started, Captain."

* * *

"This is Bruce Banner. We need medical assistance immediately. Widow, Thor and Stark are down." Bruce stood up from where Natasha had fainted, and ran over to Tony, who's faceplate had torn off from the impact of Cap's shield. He was also unconscious, his arc reactor beeping.

"The hell happened here?" Maria Hill walked out from inside the Tower, and ran over to Bruce, who stood up, shaking his head.

"Steve went crazy. Simple as that." He walked over to Natasha again, as more people came with medical equipment towards him.

"Come on, Banner, there's a reason that he beat all of you single-handedly. And top of that, why would he do that?"

"Because he wasn't Steve Rogers."

Hill and Bruce looked behind them in surprise, and saw Tony sit up behind them, just coming to. His face was bruised, but his expression was hardened. He looked at Bruce, then at Natasha on the ground, shaking his head.

"That man, that just fought us, that wasn't old Cap. This was a mind-controlled, ruthless freak." Tony spat out some blood, then looked back up at Bruce and Hill.

"He did seem a bit off when I saw him after you guys returned." Hill went over to Tony helping him up, taking him over to the medical crew. Tony spoke into his helmet, and ejected out of his now ruined suit.

"Not just that, when he was having that seizure right before he went all berserker mode, his chest was glowing purple. You didn't see that?" Tony looked at Bruce, who shook his head. Hill dropped Tony at the stairs, and a medic came over to him, bandaging his arm up.

"I was too busy looking at his veins all popping out and his face, he looked about ready to explode to hell." Bruce picked up Natasha, and carried her over to another waiting medic.

Tony shook his head yet again. "All I know is that something happened to him recently, that's why he went full Weapon X on us." He gave a groan as the medic finished bandaging his arms, moving on to finish his face.

* * *

A day later, someone stirred in their bed. Thor woke up with a start, sitting up straight, breathing heavily. He looked around him, and saw he was no longer in the living room with Steve Rogers or any of the Avengers. He was lying in a hospital bed, and saw a figure sleeping right next to him.

Erik Selvig, Thor's scientist friend, was sleeping on a couch next to Thor's bed. He gave a grunt, and suddenly opened his eyes. He looked at Thor blearily, then rubbing his eyes, addressed him.

"Welcome back to the land of the living, Thor." He stood up and shook hands with Thor, who grabbed his hand warmly.

"Erik, my friend! Nice to see you!." He looked down at himself after Selvig had sat down, and sighed.

Thor was covered in bandages, and could feel a sort of plaster on his face. His whole body was tingling, and it was very uncomfortable.

"Where exactly are we, Selvig?" Thor laid back down onto his bed, feeling, for the first time in a long time, tired.

"Uh, Seoul, I think. Some high tech hospital or something." Erik's face showed a bemused expression as well, indicating no one had actually told him of what was actually going on. "What happened to your face?"

Thor sighed yet again. "Alas, it is not a story I want to believe in." Thor looked at Selvig, lost in his thoughts, trying to piece together what had gone down in Avengers Tower. "One of the people whom I had developed a respect for betrayed us all. I am talking about Steven Rogers."

"Uh, w… what? Captain America?" Selvig's expression was a mix between scepticism and disbelief.

"Yes."

Selvig looked down at his feet, then opened his mouth, then closed it again, apparently thinking how to react to this news.

"Why? Did he not like you guys anymore, or what? Judging from you face's condition, it wasn't a sparring match."

"I have no idea. My memory fails me, all I remember is he knocked out Natasha, then went straight for his shield. I think he knocked me out with that, then tried to kill the others. Is Banner fine?" Thor looked at Selvig, who nodded.

"Well, Manhattan hasn't been smashed by an angry green blob, so I'm guessing he controlled himself."

The door opened, and a female figure walked in. Maria Hill, Thor noticed, was not injured, so he deduced that she had not intervened in the fight between the comrades.

"You're finally awake, Thor. Just so you know, the fight took place yesterday, and you're in Doctor Cho's lab in Seoul." She sat down at a chair across from Selvig and faced him.

"What is this… thing… on my face?

"Portable tissue regeneration mask. One of Doctor Cho's inventions."

Thor nodded. This explained the tingling on his face.

"Onto the reason I came here. Stark told me to tell you what's gonna happen. He says that Cap was taken under control by someone when he went missing for a while on your previous mission." She leaned back in her chair, looking straight at Thor. "We have reason to believe it was Wolfgang Von Strucker, who wasn't found by any of you or the authorities. Cap was raiding the base of H.Y.D.R.A at that time. It also seems that one of the enhanced individuals helped Strucker do whatever they did to Rogers."

Thor, who had been looking at the ground, deep in thought, looked up. "So what, are we preparing an offensive?"

"More of a search party. We need to find and subdue Rogers, and find Strucker along with Doctor List to put an end to H.Y.D.R.A."

"And what about the enhanced? You said there was more than one?"

At this, Hill looked at a screen she pulled out from inside a folder, glancing at it before replying to Thor. "Pietro and Wanda Maximoff. Two orphaned twins found in H.Y.D.R.A's files, two successful experiments by Strucker. Romanoff, Barton and Rogers all encountered at least the boy. He's got increased metabolism and improved thermal homeostasis."

Thor looked bewildered at this, with an extremely puzzled look thrown at Hill. Selvig, whom Thor had forgotten even was present, nodded his understanding and simplified it for him.

"So he's fast. By how much, Agent?

Hill glanced at him before responding. "We've witnessed him at around Mach 3, but the files claim he can achieve Mach 7 without any problems. Seems like he was going easy at you guys."

"What about the girl? What powers does she have?" Thor joined back into the conversation.

"From what we can tell, she has neural electric interfacing, telekinesis and mental manipulation." Thor looked at her again, and she rephrased quickly. "She can warp minds."

Thor nodded again, then, looking down, said his next statement in a very grave tone. "No one could have foreseen this, all of us fighting an honorary warrior which we considered to be our friend. I believe he is still our friend."

"A good friend, as breaking bones and smashing someone's face to bits is what a good friend does." Hill smiled slightly, though still looked serious.

"He gave us a warning. More than one. First, when he told the doctor not to come to the base. Later, at the last second, he endured unbearable pain to tell us to run." Thor looked up at Hill again. "Steve Rogers, the good Steve Rogers, continues to live as the host of that ruthless parasite that has taken over him."

"Then you're gonna need all the help you can get." Selvig spoke up yet again. "I think I can help you get rid of whatever's controlling him."

Thor nodded again, then addressed Hill. "We need to get everyone safe. If Steve was harsh on us, people he knows, then I don't want to imagine what he'll do to those he doesn't. Make sure everyone in the world is alarmed to the fact of his escape."

Hill nodded, then stood up, ready to leave the room. Right at the door, she turned back to face Selvig. "Oh, if you want to help us be ready for Rogers when the time comes, I might as well take you to Stark. He'll make sure you do something useful on the sidelines.

Selvig stood up, nodding, and walked over to Thor.

"It was nice to see you, Thor, I'll make sure to do as much as I can."

"Farewell, Erik. I bid you good luck on whatever you will do to assist us." Thor shook Selvig's hand, and laid back onto his pillow to take a short rest. Selvig followed Hill, and right before closing the door behind him, glanced at Thor. Under his breath, he muttered out his next remark.

"We're counting on you, buddy."


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4:

"Herr Strucker, we are finished." List called over to Strucker, finishing typing some keyline commands into a computer that was connected to a wire, which, horribly enough, led to Steve's chest. Steve was sitting upright, looking straight ahead with a blank expression, though his nerves were glowing. A deep purple glow, the same as when the Chitauri mind device had entered his chest.

"I hope so, Doctor. The Avengers also seem to be about finished with recovering from their first fight. Thor was discharged today from Seoul, Stark was already patching himself up, Romanoff also got treatment for her shin from Doctor Cho." Strucker counted off of his fingers each of the Avengers' conditions. "To round up the roster, Clint Barton is also ready to fight."

"No need to worry, Strucker, Herr Rogers here is more than ready to take down all of them." List looked at Strucker, clapping his hands together, then unplugging the wires that were connected Steve's chest.

"You underestimate them, Doctor. That Asgardian Thor is basically a god. I do believe that Rogers here will need some help."

List looked at Strucker with a puzzled expression. "And who exactly will you send to assist him? All of our troops were destroyed by him before he became ours."

"Doctor, doctor, you forget the work we have done for the past few years. You cannot forget the twins." Strucker's response was met by a hollow chuckle from List.

"You really think the twins will return to us now? After they were freed by these scum?"

"Oh, I do." Strucker smiled smugly, then pressed a few buttons on the control panel he was standing on. After a bleep from a computer, a radio communication device lit up, and Wanda's voice came out of it.

"Hello, Strucker." She sounded quite relaxed, much more than the last time Strucker had been with her. Clearly, she had found a place to live in their absence.

"Greetings Wanda. And to Pietro. I know you are listening as well."

"What do you want, Strucker?" Pietro growled into his earpiece. He did not seem as easy as Wanda on the conversation.

"I need you. For a mission. Your first assignment, to test the strength of your powers."

There was a pause from the twins. And then, the line cut. The radio was silent. Then suddenly, there was a whoosh, and a loud bang. Strucker turned around, and saw List on the floor, with two people that hadn't been there a second ago.

"Well, well, well. I never expected you to go at that speed." Strucker chuckled at the two twins, Pietro and Wanda, who were standing right in front of him. Pietro was breathing heavily, and Wanda was patting his back.

"What do you mean? Running across an ocean in a couple of seconds should have been nothing." Pietro was wheezing heavily in the ground, clutching his chest. "Incidentally, how did you manage to come to the Yanks from Sokovia?" He coughed into his fist, then stood up, though he was still wobbly.

"Fret not, Pietro. I was just about to tell Doctor List here just how much we have underestimated you. To answer your question, I… have my ways." Wanda threw Strucker a puzzled look, but Pietro looked expectantly at him. "Eager to begin, I presume?" Strucker looked slightly bemused, though he walked over to Steve (who had been in the background staring nonchalantly at the twins).

"This is, as you may well be aware by now, Steve Rogers. Known, of course, as-"

"Captain America." Pietro looked at Steve with awe, and walked around to face him. "You know, Captain, I was a huge fan." Wanda narrowed her eyes at this, but then spared a glance at Pietro's face. What she saw, she was pleased with. Pietro's eyes were glinting with malice, a dark leer had formed itself on the boy's face. "Then your buddy Stark went and blew my family up. Not so keen on the superhero business now. Not at all."

Without warning, Pietro had cocked his fist back, and at a speed that caused his arms to go blurry, he punched Steve, right in the jaw. Over and over and over again, until Strucker yelled out "STOP!", and Wanda screamed "Pietro!"

Pietro stopped, breathing heavily, yet again, glaring at Steve, who had somehow not moved at all. Suddenly, he jumped up, higher than all of their heads, and pushed off of the ceiling with his feet, landing right on Pietro, tackling him to the ground. He then held up his arm pressing a button on his glove, and his shield flew up from where it had been on the floor, unnoticed by anyone before. He grabbed the shield, and made to thrust it downwards into Pietro's face.

Pietro held up his hands in front of his face, blocking the shield. Strangely, Steve didn't apply any pressure on the shield. Pietro looked up at Strucker and Wanda, bewildered, then saw List in the background. List was typing furiously on a keyboard into a control panel, muttering under his breath. Pietro only caught some broken words from him.

"Override… defence… protocol disabling… involuntary reflex disabled." List took a deep breath, looking up from his keyboard, and let off a sigh of relief as Steve stood up and moved back from where Pietro was lying down. Strucker gave List an inquisitive look, one which List answered verbally. "That was involuntary defence. I deliberately put that command into his mainframe. Need to work on the reaction speed." At once, List shook his head, then bent back down and started typing again, with a purple glow on Steve's chest reappearing. He stood to the side, staring straight ahead as Pietro stood up, brushing dust off of his arms.

"As you can see, due to the work of Wanda here, we have full control over Captain Rogers. Due to an unfortunate accident, which included a software glitch," At this, Strucker threw List an unreadable glance, "he blew his cover within the Avengers. Now, his mission is to invade the headquarters, and get as many resources that have Stark Tech emblazoned on them. Using that technology, we can combine the convenience of the Chitauri weapons along with the functionality of Stark's, and that will make our troops indendable!" He finished his speech with a triumphant and oily exclamation, one that even Wanda gave a rare smile. Pietro, however, gave a scowl.

"And what exactly do we do?" His question was in a scathing manner, directed straight at Strucker.

"You will accompany Rogers to his next mission, which" He look at his wrist watch at this, "should commence in a few minutes. Doctor List here will elaborate." He beckoned to List, who stepped forward and gave a tiny cough, clearing his throat.

"Mission Report, Captain H.Y.D.R.A assistance reconnaissance mission log 1." A computer beeped at this, signalling a recording. "Wanda and Pietro Maximoff, H.Y.D.R.A enhanced individual twins. Female, age 19, telekinesis ability. Male, age 20, improve homeostasis and endurance. Assisting Steve Rogers, Male, age 98, improved strength and durability. Mission Goal, invade Avengers Tower and acquire Stark Tech assets. End log." List took a breath, then nodded towards Strucker. Strucker, taking the cue, gazed at the twins and Steve.

"You know your mission. You know the goal. Assist Captain Hydra in avenging the Avengers." The corners of his mouth tilted upwards, and he nearly spat out the next few words. "Go on. Now."

Wanda looked at Strucker for a second, then suddenly, there was a blue flash, and Wanda, Steve and Pietro had vanished, leaving dust in their wake.

"They do seem confident." List sounded slightly nervous, and Strucker, strangely, gave a chuckle.

"They will win, Doctor. I know they will."

"All of a sudden you place your trust in them? You told me in Sokovia that they are not ready." At this, Strucker narrowed his eyes, and it looked like he had regretted saying anything.

"Master at turning my words against me, I see. Don't worry. I needn't rephrase anything." Strucker had walked over to a rack, with strange looking guns and other weapons. He picked up a random one, smiling all the time. List saw this, and immediately regretted saying anything in the first place. He knew Strucker did not care for any humans, and would not be deterred in the slightest if anyone close to him died. _Like him._

"Uh… see here… Herr Strucker…" List sputtered, backing into a wall. "Y-you need… need me.. Please, I meant no disrespect…"

Strucker smiled, amused. "It is not respect I require, Doctor. It is anonymity. And of all of my team, I know that you would be the only one to give up information with only some prodding around." He held up the launcher, a Chitauri launcher from the Battle of New York, and gave a seemingly genuine apologetic smile to List. "Farewell Doctor. I have learnt enough to strive on my own." And he pulled the trigger, with a purple beam issuing from the barrel. List gave a strangled gasp, and fell over with a thump. He lay unmoving as Strucker put the launcher back and sat down.

_I'll move him later._


	6. Chapter 5

"Banner, need some help here, buddy." Tony had his hands on a screen, and was touching seemingly random buttons. He paused, his hands hovering over a dialer, then looked at Bruce, who was just walking in. Bruce gasped, then spoke in a reprimanding tone to Tony.

"What the hell are you doing? You're supposed to be resting. Cho said that you need to rest the bones she fixed." At this, Tony indicated an X-ray result on table nearby, which showed a skull with a crack right under the eyes. Tony scoffed, then touched his right cheekbone.

"It's nothing. Wanna help out?" He waved his hand over his holographic screen. Bruce sighed, then walked over to him.

"What are you working on?" He put on his glasses, and stared at the screen. "Planet Terra Defence Overhaul Protocol: Ultron Armour… What's Ultron?

"My - or rather everyone's - new armour. A suit of armour around the world. I call it Ultron." Tony sounded proud at his invention, leaning back as Bruce took a look.

"What, like a defence system? An AI? That sounds very complicated. I doubt anything - even JARVIS - would be anywhere near the technology needed." Bruce turned around, giving Tony a puzzled look.

"Well, since we've yet to talk about what I found at Strucker's, you can't say anything. But, I will talk about that now." Tony walked around Bruce, picked up a smaller glass screen, then tapped a few things. A hologram sprung up immediately, an orange, geometric sphere, slightly revolving.

"Good Evening, sir." JARVIS's voice came from it, and Bruce understood that he was literally _looking_ at JARVIS.

"Hey, buddy. Here, we have JARVIS. Top of the line. Absolutely unbeaten." Tony gestured at the orange sphere nonchalantly.

"I suspect not for long." JARVIS added. Tony chuckled, then touched a few other things on his screen, and another, bigger hologram popped up. Huge, blue and organic, this new hologram was barely spherical, it was pulsing slowly. Bruce thought that it looked rather repulsing, but it was his scientific curiosity that stopped him from recoiling.

"This is what I found at Strucker's lab." Tony leaned back yet again, with a slightly bemused expression on his face. "This is probably the most efficient software I have ever seen."

"But how do you know it's a software? It doesn't seem to have any form, no schematic that it is applied on. It looks like it's… thinking… and breathing." Bruce was breathing at a rather fast rate, as he bent down and surveyed this new hologram.

"A heart and a brain. In one. Do you like my plan with it?" Tony smirked, then held up his hands just as Bruce gave him an inquisitive look. "Look, I'm not just making it for the future. I'm making it to stop Cap. Whatever's got him, we can make something that has no limits, has no barrier. It will capture and revert him to what he was, what he should be. Peace of our time." Tony smiled, and even Bruce tried (to no effect) to hide his smile. It was rather brilliant.

"Well… let's get started." Bruce clapped his hands together and Tony got busy immediately, walking back to the computer screen.

**. . . . .**

"How is she?" Thor was up and walking again, and he was visiting Natasha this time. Natasha was doing fine herself (at least she had recovered from the EMP explosion, but her bruises from the fight against Steve were still visible) but she was taking a nap this time round. Clint and Thor were conversing outside her hospital room, with the former sitting down on a bench, face resting on his hands.

"Getting better. The wound from the shield was very big, but the tissue regeneration finished it up around 4 hours ago." Clint looked up, and Thor once again noticed the rather large bags under his eyes, indicating a lack of sleep.

"Seems like you took it upon yourself to worry." Thor shook his head slightly, while Clint looked up at him, giving a blank expression.

"She's my best friend. What do you think I'm supposed to do?" Clint rubbed at his eyes tiredly, returning his gaze back to the floor.

"Worrying will only increase the stress you placed on yourself. You couldn't have helped." Clint narrowed his eyes at this, and Thor quickly amended his comment. "No offence intended."

Clint sighed deeply. "None taken." He rubbed his eyes again, then looked up at Thor. "You know, I could've. I've got the best aim here."

"Aim wouldn't have helped. Rogers fought with such ferocity that all of the team combined, bar you of course, failed to deter him whatsoever. Besides, you were lucky that his wrath did not affect you, and if it did, you would have had a lot worse than a hole in your side."

Clint grimaced, nodding slightly, then stood up. Natasha had stirred, and her eyes shot open in the bed behind them. Seeing this through the window, Clint and Thor made to go for the door. Clint reached it first, and twisted the handle to enter. Thor walked in behind him, closing the door as he did so. Natasha sat up, rubbing her shoulder and groaning slightly.

"Are you alright?" Clint sat down on a chair next to her bed, while Thor stood in a corner of the room.

"Dizzy, but fine." Clint raised his eyebrows at this answer, and Natasha added, "But some places still smart." She rubbed her shoulder again, also glancing at Thor in the corner. "How are you? Last time I saw you, you were half dead in your own blood."

Thor gave a hollow chuckle. "Well, being mighty does come with its gifts. Like exponential skin growth."

"I though Cho gave you a machine of hers?" Clint grinned as Thor scowled.

"So?" Natasha looked at them inquiringly, and at this Thor groaned. He had hoped he wouldn't need to explain any of the events that had transpired a few days ago. Thankfully, Clint came to his rescue.

"Apparently Cap got upset with something, then took it all out on you guys." Clint said it he couldn't believe anything that had happened, almost nonchalantly. However, Natasha shook her head impatiently.

"I know that. I meant _why_? There has to be a reason that one of my only friends nearly tore a hole in the middle of my chest."

"We don't know." Thor spoke up from his corner. "But we have an idea. Stark predicts that the idiot Strucker put a parasite within his breast."

Natasha put her hand up to her mouth, aghast. "_What!"_

"Not an animal! Stark thinks it's a machine of some sort, with an outer origin."

"Like the one that controlled me." Clint said. Natasha gave a sigh, and laid back down. Clint put his hand on Natasha's shoulder, and muttered something to her, too quiet for Thor to hear. Sensing that the two friends needed a moment, Thor said, "I'm going back to base. I want to make sure that Stark and Banner are safe."

Clint and Natasha nodded, the former giving a grateful smile his way. Thor walked out of the hospital room, his pace quickened as he walked towards the entrance. He strode past the receptionist and into the sunlight. He held up his hand, and a moment later Mjolnir flew from inside the hospital into his hand. He started spinning it, faster and faster, then released it into the air, his hand grabbing the grip at the last second, as the hammer pulled him into the air and towards New York.

. . . . .

Tony was still on his console, pressing seemingly random buttons and other pop-ups. The Avengers Tower seemed almost eerie in the darkness of night, punctuated with some light talk between Bruce and Tony.

"Tony, I need you to turn up the residual after-effect of the metal alloy within each neuron." Bruce glanced up slightly from his tablet, sliding his finger across a screen in front of where he was standing. Tony paused, looking up at him.

"Which one though? His shield is the strongest possible metal."

"Vibranium." Banner muttered under his breath. "What do we do? Make more?"

"Banner, you're a genius." Tony smirked as he walked across the room to yet another blue screen. "JARVIS, find the atomic structural scan I took of Cap's shield and prep for atomic replication."

JARVIS gave a beep to signify the start of the process. Bruce glanced down at his tablet again, inhaling sharply a second later.

"Banner?" Tony looked back at him, puzzled.

"200 individual protons? How the hell does this thing survive past a millisecond?"

"I mean, I assumed it needed isotopes from different metals to extend its half life. We don't exactly know a lot about this metal."

"A natural metal does not have the ability to gather isotopes from surrounding metals, as far as we know the atom is stable. A whole shield is made out of it. It could be exotic matter."

"From where it's found? I doubt there are a lot of exotic isotopes in the African wilderness."

Bruce looked up at him. "Where is it found?"

"Wakanda. Peasant country in the middle of Africa, next to Kenya I think. JARVIS, cross reference that for me?"

"You are correct, sir. The central African nation of Wakanda is known to consist of numerous different tribes, largely known for their country's GDP, or lack thereof. Wakanda is also famous as the only source of the world's rarest metal, Vibranium. Current leaders of the country include King T'Chaka, Queen N'Yami, Prince T'Challa and Princess Shuri." JARVIS droned on about the country.

"Well, there's your Geography for the day." Tony joked as JARVIS' speech ended. He looked up in surprise as a beep came from JARVIS.

"Sir, it seems that the Vibranium atoms are not compatible with the replication process."

Tony and Bruce stared at each other for a moment, before Bruce replied. "Analyse each quark in the atom JARVIS, not any irregular properties."

Suddenly, a loud noise began booming in the room. A red light started pulsing overhead, with a mechanised female voice booming through out the room to evacuate.

"JARVIS?!" Tony yelled, tapping something on his wrist. Bruce clapped his hands over his ears, dropping his tablet onto the ground.

"It seems that Captain Rogers just scanned his retinals to gain access to the storage room. Deploying Mark 43 now."

"NO! Do the 45! The 43 can't do shit, it's smashed to smithereens!" Tony yelled over the blaring alarm. Immediately, a read blur crossed the room, snapping onto Tony's back. Subsequently, a pair of red blurs flew across the room, hitting Tony's hands and covering them up. Soon, all of the Mark 45 Iron Man Armour was upon Tony, whose helmet clanked shut just as the alarm stopped overhead.

"JARVIS, I want you to continue the replication process, I want a full exoskeleton in three minutes!" Tony spoke into his helmet. He glanced back at Bruce, who was on the floor with his hands up to his ears. "And Bruce… hang in there."


End file.
